Brightstowe is an academy in north west Bristol, serving a mainly White community with above average levels of deprivation. A third of students are eligible for free school meals (FSM) and 70 per cent are from the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country.
When I became principal in 2010, there were low levels of attainment, with 60 per cent of students reading below their chronological age and only 29 per cent gaining five A* to C GCSEs including English and maths.
We immediately made some fundamental changes. In my first week, I introduced a zero tolerance behaviour policy: disrespecting teachers, disrupting lessons and using mobile phones in class all met with immediate consequences. This improved behaviour straightaway, giving teachers the chance to focus on quality teaching.
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